Event ·

The Spring Supper for residents and trustees, 2026

A long-table supper, cooked by trustees, for residents, volunteers, families and friends of the charity. Easebourne Parish Hall on Saturday 20 June 2026, two settings, sixty-four places in all. £18 a place; under-12s free.

A long table laid in Easebourne parish hall: linen, candles, hand-lettered place cards reading George Ognell's Charity, a wide white earthenware soup tureen in the centre.
The Spring Supper, 2025. Photograph by Doon Muir, with consent of those pictured.

What and where

The Spring Supper is the longest-running event in the charity’s calendar. The first one of its current form was held in 1998 by Mary Comper, in the back room of the Angel Inn, for twelve people. It has been every year since (except 2020 and 2021, for the obvious reasons) and has been at Easebourne Parish Hall since 2014.

It is a two-setting supper. The first setting begins at 17.30 and ends at 19.15. The second begins at 19.15 and ends at 20.30. The kitchen runs continuously through the changeover. There is a short reading from the founder’s 1632 will after the cheese, at both settings, by the chair.

The menu

Cooked by trustees and a small kitchen team. Vegetarian alternatives are marked (v); coeliac-friendly options (gf) by arrangement at booking. Wine, beer and elderflower cordial included.

  • Leek and potato soup, with a sour-dough loaf from the Midhurst bakery (v)
  • Slow-cooked Sussex lamb with broad beans from the walled garden, and roast new potatoes (gf by arrangement)
  • A leek-and-cheddar tart, with the same vegetables and potatoes (v)
  • A damson trifle (the damsons from the orchards at Cocking)
  • Sussex cheeses and oatcakes
  • Coffee, tea, and a glass of late port

What to bring

Yourself, on time. A warm jumper, in case the hall is cool; the trustees have a habit of leaving the doors open during the kitchen changeover. A small donation to the Wassail Fund collection plate at the door, if you would like to (one is left out, unmanned, for that purpose; no one stands by it).

You do not need to bring food or drink, glasses, plates, or table linen. You do not need to wear black tie; we have tried it; it does not suit us.

Accessibility

The parish hall is at ground level, with a ramp at the front entrance and a step-free path from the road. The accessible toilet is to the left of the main entrance. A hearing-loop is fitted for the chair’s reading. The car park can fit fourteen cars; on-street parking on Easebourne Street is free after 18.00.

Please let us know in your booking if you have any access requirements; we will do our best to accommodate them, and we will write back to you about anything we cannot do as well as anything we can.

Bring children?

Yes. Under-12s are free; we set aside a quiet corner of the hall with books and a small table, and the lamb is gentle enough for most children to eat. Older children pay the full £18; we do not have a teenage rate.